1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bed that is stored adjacent the ceiling of a recreation vehicle, e.g. a motor home and is lowered to a position for accessibility and use, and more particularly it relates to the design of, and the power actuated mechanism for, raising and lowering the bed.
2. Background Information
Recreation vehicles, such as motor homes, all share a common need. That is to provide the greatest number of desired features in the least amount of space. The space the bed occupies has been a major target for saving space. When the users are sleeping, many other features are not in use and vice versa. Thus, to the extent feasible, the bed space can be convertible for one use during the day and for bed space at night. Beds have heretofore been hidden in couches to convert the sitting room space and they have been designed into dining booths to convert the eating area. In motor homes, a targeted area is the space over the driver's area at the front of the motor home. (Hereafter, the reference to "driver's area" includes the full width of that area at the front of the vehicle having fixed driver and passenger seating for use while the vehicle is in transit.)
It is not uncommon to provide a bed suspended over the driver's area of a motor home. Such beds are often provided with a manual fold down mechanism to raise and lower the bed, e.g. from a position tight up against the ceiling (and out of the way of individuals seated in the driver/passenger seats) to a lowered position where enough room is provided between the bed and ceiling to accommodate one or two persons. However, the bed is typically several feet off the floor even in the lowered position. Getting in and out of the bed is difficult and persons lying in the bed are uncomfortably close to the ceiling. Sitting up in the bed is not feasible, the sleeping space has a "closed-in" feel and the area being close to the ceiling is typically too warm for comfortable sleeping.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a design and mechanism for an overhead, out of the way bed, e.g. for motor homes, that has a powered mechanism to raise and lower the bed from an upper position against the ceiling to a lower position, e.g. two and one-half to three feet lower, to place the bed closer to the floor and thereby avoid the discomfort and inconvenience as described above.